1 These are ancillary proceedings following the dissolution of the marriage between the plaintiff mother (“the Mother”) and the defendant father (“the Father”).

2 The Father and Mother (“the Parties”) were married in September 2004 and have two daughters, C1, who was born in 2014 and C2, who was born in 2016 (“the children”).

3 In June 2023, the Mother commenced divorce proceedings citing the irretrievable breakdown of the marriage. The Interim Judgment was granted on an uncontested basis in February 2024 with the ancillary matters adjourned to be heard in chambers. The Parties attended mandatory counselling and mediation to attempt resolution on the ancillary matters. While this was unsuccessful, the Parties reached an interim agreement on matters relating to the children in January 2024.

4 The Parties’ interim agreement on the children’s issues was reflected in an Order of Court dated 31 January 2024 which contained the following terms:

  By consent, in the interim until further orders:

a) For Chinese New Year for the year 2024:

(i) The Father shall have the children from 4 p.m. on the eve of Chinese New Year (CNY) to 10 p.m. on the eve of CNY.

(ii) On the 2nd day of CNY, the Father shall be at liberty to bring the children to Johor Bahru, Malaysia and shall bring the children back by 10 p.m. on the 2nd day of CNY.

b) For overseas holidays in the interim:

(i) The Father shall be entitled to bring the children overseas to Malaysia, i.e. 8th March 2024 till 12th March 2024.

(ii) The Mother shall be entitled to bring the children overseas to Batam on Good Friday, i.e. 29th March 2024 till 31st March 2024.

(iii) Upon confirmation of any overseas trip, the travelling party shall provide the other parent with the detailed itinerary, travelling parties, flight/train information, accommodation information, contact numbers and travel insurance, as soon as available but no later than 2 weeks before the start of the overseas trip.

(iv) Video and WhatsApp calls with the children shall be arranged by the travelling parent for the other parent daily during overseas trips.

(v) Upon return from the trips described above, each party shall return the passports back to the drawer at the TV console within 24 hours from the return of the trip.

5 I now move on to the issues requiring determination in the ancillary proceedings.

6 The ancillary matters came up for hearing before me on 19 June 2025. The following matters were agreed ¹ :

a) Joint custody of the children;

b) Care and control of the children to the Mother;

c) No maintenance for the Mother;

d) A 60-40 split of the children’s ad-hoc and medical expenses; and

e) Various miscellaneous access orders.

7 The following ancillary issues remained disputed:

a) Some access arrangements for the children;

b) Maintenance for the children; and

c) Division of the matrimonial assets, including the matrimonial home.

8 I now move on to the evidence and orders made.

9 The Mother was represented by counsel and the Father was a self-represented person at the hearing of the ancillary matters. The Parties relied on the following affidavits and submissions for the hearing:

a) The Mother’s Affidavit of Assets and Means filed on 2 August 2024 (“M1”);

b) The Mother’s Affidavit filed on 2 April 2025 (“M2”);

c) The Mother’s Affidavit filed on 30 June 2025 (“M3”);

d) The Mother’s updated written submissions filed on 20 June 2025.

e) The Father’s Affidavit of Assets and Means filed on 2 August 2024 (“F1”);

f) The Father’s Affidavit filed on 4 April 2025 on disclosure (“F2”);

g) The Father’s affidavit filed on 23 April 2025 (“F3”); and

h) The Father’s affidavit filed on 11 July 2025 (“F4”).

10 After considering the evidence and submissions, I made the following orders:

a) By consent, the Mother and the Father shall have joint custody of the children of the marriage, namely C1 and C2.

b) By consent, the Mother shall have care and control of the children.

c) The Father shall have reasonable access to the children as follows:

(i) Overnight access on weekends in alternate weeks, from Friday at 6 p.m. to Sunday at 6 p.m.

(ii) The Father shall have access to the children once a week on any weekday between Monday to Thursday (“weekday access”). During weekday access, the children shall be picked up by the Father after school hours and to be returned to the children’s residence before 8 p.m. that day. Parties are at liberty to make alternative handover arrangements, based on the children’s needs and schedules.

(iii) By consent, this weekday access is to be mutually agreed by parties and subject to the children’s school activities, term tests and examinations.

(iv) By consent, the Father shall bring the children for any enrichment classes which takes place during his access time. The Father shall also ensure that the children’s homework is completed and checked during his access.

(v) By consent, the above access shall be superseded by the School holidays access, Special Public holidays and Public holidays.

d) The Father shall have access to the children on their respective birthdays, for a minimum period of at least three hours, having regard to their school schedules.

e) The Father shall have parenting time with the children on Father’s Day, from 9 a.m. to 7.30 p.m.

f) The Mother shall have parenting time with the children on Mother’s Day, from 9 a.m. to 7.30 p.m.

g) By consent, any planned overseas trips exceeding 7 days (“Long Trip”) shall be communicated by the travelling party to the other party at least 6 weeks before the proposed trip with details of the said trip including the destination, a brief itinerary and the travelling parties and corresponding information such as their contact numbers (“details of said trip”).

h) By consent, in the event the overseas trip is less than 7 days (“Short Trip”), the travelling party is to give the other party prior notice of 2 weeks in advance before the Short Trip with a detailed itinerary, any travelling parties and corresponding information such as their contact numbers.

i) By consent, such overseas trips by the Father should be taken during the Father’s period of access.

j) By consent, upon confirmation of any overseas trip, the Father shall provide the Mother with the detailed itinerary, travelling parties, flight/train information, accommodation information, contact numbers and travel insurance, as soon as available but no later than 2 weeks before the start of a Long Trip and 1 week before a Short Trip.

k) Video and WhatsApp calls with the children shall be arranged by the travelling parent for the other parent daily during overseas trips.

l) By consent, the Mother shall hand over the passports of the children to the Father 48 hours before their departure for the Long Trip and on the day of departure of the Short Trip and Overseas Day Trip and The Father shall hand them back to the Mother within 48 hours from the return from the trip.

m) By consent, Save for Chinese New Year, Christmas and New Year's Day (“Special Public Holidays”), the Father shall have access on alternate public holidays from 9 a.m. to 7.30 p.m., commencing from the date of the Final Judgment. Public holidays shall mean all MOM gazetted public holidays.

n) By consent, the parties may swap the public holidays subject to mutual agreement from both parties.

o) By consent, the Father shall be entitled to half the school holidays during March, June, September and December (“School Holidays Access”), subject to the Father being present at home and/or having a caregiver to take care of the children during the School Holidays Access.

p) By consent, access from 5 p.m. on the eve of Chinese New Year (“CNY”) to 8 p.m. on the 1st day of CNY on odd years to the Father commencing from year 2025.

q) By consent, in even years, the Father shall have access from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the eve of CNY and at 9 a.m. on the 2nd day of CNY to 8 p.m. on the 2nd day of CNY. If the 3rd day of CNY is a school holiday, the Father may return the children on the 3rd day of CNY by 2 p.m. instead of the 2nd day. The Father is to pick up and return the children from their place of residence.

r) By consent, the Father shall have access from 9 a.m. on Christmas Eve to 7.30 p.m. on Christmas Day on even years commencing from the year 2024. The Father shall access from 9 a.m. on New Year’s Eve on odd years to 7.30 p.m. on New Year’s Day on even years commencing from 2026.

s) By consent, in the event the Father wishes to travel with the children during Special Public Holidays, the Father shall restrict his travel plans to the access schedule mentioned above and furnish such plans at least 2 months in advance notice to the Mother. the Father 's request to bring the Mother’s maid along on the said travel trip is subject to the consent of both the Mother and the maid, and the Father shall bear all the travel costs incurred by the maid including but not limited to Visa application, travel insurance, and any extra agency costs for documentations required for the travel.

t) Where there is a clash in the provisions above, the order of priority, in descending order, shall be as follows:

(i) Birthdays, Father’s Day and Mother’s Day;

(ii) Special Public Holidays;

(iii) School holidays;

(iv) Public holiday arrangements. Where the public holiday falls within a school holiday, the affected public holiday shall not be counted in the reckoning of alternate public holidays; and

(v) Regular weekly arrangements.

u) The Mother and the Father are at liberty to agree on any changes to access arrangements in this order.

v) The Mother shall retain the children’s passports for safekeeping.

w) The Mother, the Father, C1 and C2 shall attend counselling at DSSA.

x) The Mother, the Father, C1 and C2 shall attend the Child in Between programme.

y) The Father shall pay the monthly sum of $1,990 to the Mother as maintenance for the children with effect from 1 August 2025 and thereafter on the 1st day of each subsequent month. Of this sum of $1,990, $995 is maintenance for C1 and $995 is maintenance for C2.

z) By consent, the Father shall also cover 60% while the Mother shall cover 40% of the following expenses –

(i) All school-related and year-end expenses including but not limited to uniforms, schoolbooks and school trips.

(ii) Medical and dental fees and subject to parties’ agreement in respect of such dental fee.

Reimbursement under this order shall be made to the paying party within 7 days upon production of receipts.

aa) Expenses incurred during overseas trips for the children will be borne by the parent who has access to the children for the trip.

bb) All maintenance payments shall be made directly into the Mother’s bank account.

cc) In the event the Mother is required to make any payments to the Father under this order, such payments shall be made directly into the Father’s bank account.

dd) The matrimonial flat at Blk xxx Serangoon Central Drive #xxx Singapore xxx shall be sold on the open market within 6 months of the Final Judgment.

ee) The net value – to be referred to as “A” – is defined as the sale price minus the outstanding housing loan. The Mother is entitled to 60% of A and the Father is entitled to 40% of A.

ff) The sale proceeds shall be applied as follows:

(i) To make full payment of the outstanding housing loan (if any) to the HDB (if any).

(ii) To pay the HDB resale levy (if any).

(iii) To pay the requisite CPF refunds in accordance with applicable CPF Rules and Regulations to the Parties’ respective CPF accounts.

(iv) To pay all costs and expenses incidental and relating to the sale of the property.

(v) The balance sale proceeds shall be divided in the following manner: 100% to the Mother. This remaining cash proceeds to be given to the Mother shall be defined as “B”.

gg) The agent fees and the legal fees (if any) for the sale of the matrimonial flat shall be borne by both parties in the proportion of 60% by the Mother and 40% by the Father. In the event the situation is such that both parties need to engage their own solicitors for the purposes of the sale of the Matrimonial Flat, then each party shall bear his or her own solicitor’s fees. For avoidance of doubt, any other expenses as may be necessary to complete the sale apart from that as abovementioned, including the stamp, registration and administrative fees of the sale, shall be borne by both parties equally.

hh) The Plaintiff / Mother (hereinafter referred to as the “Spouse”) shall be entitled to $C of the Defendant / Father’s (hereinafter referred to as the “Member”) Central Provident Fund (“CPF”) moneys pursuant to Section 112 of the Women’s Charter (Cap 353), Revised Edition 1997 (“the Ordered Amount”).

ii) After the making of the refunds into the Member’s CPF account of the required CPF moneys in respect of the matrimonial flat from the sale proceeds of the matrimonial flat, the Board shall transfer, from the moneys standing to the credit of the Member in the following CPF account of the Member, the amount specified as follows to the Spouse’s CPF account:

jj) The Spouse shall inform the Board the exact Ordered Amount to be transferred from the Member’s CPF Ordinary Account.

kk) The Board shall only transfer the Ordered Amount after the Board has been notified of the sale of the property and the refunds have been credited into the CPF account(s) of the Member.

ll) This order is made subject to the Central Provident Fund Act (Cap. 36) (“CPF Act”) and the subsidiary legislation made thereunder made in respect of the Member’s CPF moneys, property and investments. The Board shall give effect to the terms of this order in accordance with the provisions of the CPF Act and the subsidiary legislation made thereunder.

mm) The shortfall, if any, between the Ordered Amount and the payment received by her from the Board or transferred to her CPF account is a debt due from the Member to the Spouse and is recoverable as such.

nn) All obligations to effect a transfer or sale of investments and property shall be on the Member and not on the Board.

oo) The Registrar / Assistant Registrar of the Family Justice Courts under section 31 of the Family Justice Act 2014 is empowered to execute, sign, or endorse all necessary documents relating to matters contained in this order on behalf of either party, should either party fail to do so within two weeks of written request being made to the party.

pp) Unless expressly provided for in the CPF Act, nothing in the orders herein shall be taken to affect the Board’s charge on the matrimonial home or any other immovable property owned by one or both of the parties and which is the subject of this order of court. The Board shall determine the requisite refunds to be made to the respective parties’ CPF accounts upon the sale, transfer, assignment or otherwise disposal of such immovable property in accordance with the CPF Act and the subsidiary legislation made thereunder.

qq) The parties, including the Board, shall be at liberty to apply for further directions or orders generally.

rr) Each party shall retain all other assets in their respective names.

ss) These orders are made in full and final settlement of parties’ ancillary claims on the division of matrimonial assets.

tt) By consent, there shall be no spousal maintenance payable by the Father to the Mother.

uu) Parties shall be at liberty to apply.

11 The Father, being dissatisfied with parts of the Order, filed a Notice of Appeal and I now set out my grounds.

12 I will deal with each of the three issues in turn.

13 Following the Parties’ agreement on joint custody, with care and control to the Mother, the Parties were also broadly in agreement with most of the access orders. There remained, however, a few areas which required adjudication, and I set these out here, including the rationale for the orders which I made.

14 Overnight access: The Father sought overnight access every other week and for a longer block ² of time, instead of the weekly, shorter, overnight visits as proposed by the Mother ³ . I agreed that this was in the children’s welfare, since the Father would be able to plan a proper programme with the children over an entire weekend.

15 Handovers for weekday access: The Father said that he did not want to always be the one obliged to return the children after access. However, I agreed with the Mother’s submissions that it would in the children’s interests to ensure that they were dropped off by the Father since the following day would be a school day. After all, the Father would be best placed to make the necessary arrangements to drop off the children, since he was exercising such mid-week access. I did, however, provide for the Parties to agree on alternative handover arrangements if they wished, based on the children’s needs and schedules.

16 Suspension of access during exam time: The Mother sought an order that the Father’s access “shall be suspended for that week prior to and during the children's quarterly school examinations and/or term assessments to facilitate their revision and preparation” ⁴ and the Father disagreed to this ⁵ . I did not consider it necessary to make this order, especially in view of the agreed order that “weekday access is to be mutually agreed by Parties and subject to the children's school activities, term tests and examinations”; there was no necessity, on the facts of this case, to over-stipulate such access.

17 Birthday access: I was unable to agree that stipulating the hours of birthday access was in the children’s welfare. The main consideration was for the children to see their father on this important day; the Parties should adopt a commonsense approach, having regard to whether it is a school day and other considerations.

18 Trips subject to discussion: the Mother sought an order that all overseas trips including Long and Short Trips are subject to discussion based on the children's schedule and their best interests ⁶ . I found it unnecessary to stipulate this, as such matters fell within the ambit of joint parenting. I also noted that the scope and notice periods for such trips were already agreed to; there was no necessity for further orders on this.

19 Video / WhatsApp access while travelling: there was a disagreement over who should arrange such access. I observed that the Parties had previously agreed to certain orders on this issue in the Order of Court dated 31 January 2024; I considered it fair to adopt identical language which parties had themselves previously agreed to.

20 School holidays: The Mother sought an order to prescribe the arrangements in the event the Father was unable to be present at home and does not have a caregiver to take care of the children during the School Holiday Access ⁷ . The Father disagreed ⁸ , maintaining that he was aware that they could not be alone, and that managing them was his responsibility. I agreed that further stipulations on holiday access were unnecessary; the overarching consideration was for the children to spend meaningful time with the Father, and both Parties were required to constructively communicate to facilitate this.

21 For all these reasons, I made the access orders above as I considered these to be in the children’s welfare and best interests. If access did not occur as planned, the Parties simply need to make alternative arrangements. The access orders were designed and intended to operate in tandem with therapeutic interventions which have also been ordered as part of these ancillary orders. It was now up to both parents to ensure that the access arrangements were appropriately supported.

22 The Parties were unable to agree on the Father’s monthly maintenance contribution to the children’s expenses. In assessing the Mother’s claim for maintenance, I determined the reasonableness of the expenses as set out by the Mother ⁹ . The Father challenged some of these expenses ¹⁰ . I set out below the list of monthly expenses with my figures and an accompanying explanation for each:

23 I now move on to the children’s expenses, starting with C1.

24 I now move on to C2’s expenses.

25 The children’s total reasonable expenses were therefore $3,318.37, comprising:

a) $1,874.18 [C1 + C2’s share of reasonable household expenses];

b) $738.74 [C1’s reasonable expenses]; and

c) $705.45 [C2’s reasonable expenses].

26 I observed the following:

a) The Mother sought the sum of $1,200 ¹¹ for each child as the Father’s monthly contribution to the children’s expenses.

b) The Father was prepared to contribute the monthly sum of $800 ¹² for each child, as maintenance towards the children’s expenses.

27 I now turn to the Parties’ income. For the purposes of assessing the Parties’ income and earning capacity vis-à-vis each other in determining an appropriate quantum of maintenance, I relied on the Parties’ respective Notices of Assessment (NOAs) for the last three years. I therefore reviewed the Parties’ respective NOAs for the Years of Assessment (YA) 2023, 2024 and 2025 ¹³ . The table below sets out the particulars:

28 Based on the above data, the following could be deduced:

a) The average total household income per year in the last three years was $152,305 per year [$63,117 + $89,188]; and

b) the ratio of the Parties’ income was 41%:59% [63,117: 89,188].

29 Since the ratio of the Parties’ income and earning capacity was only 1% away from being a 60-40 split, I considered it reasonable and appropriate for each parent to bear the children’s expenses in the proportion 60-40, in line with their income and earning capacity. Based on the children’s total current reasonable expenses of $3,318.37, the Father’s 60% contribution was therefore about $1,990 ²⁰ . This was how I arrived at the sum of $1,990 as the children’s maintenance.

30 Insofar as additional payments, the Father agreed ²¹ to the Mother’s proposals ²² . I therefore made the following order by consent:

(i) All school-related and year-end expenses including but not limited to uniforms, schoolbooks and school trips; and

(ii) Medical and dental fees and subject to Parties’ agreement in respect of such dental fee.

31 I observed the Parties’ agreement to split certain expenses in the above manner fair, for it obliged the Father to only contribute towards expenses which were actually incurred. I also considered it reasonable to make an order on the children’s expenses incurred during overseas trips ²³ , that is, that such expenses be borne by the parent who has access to the children for the trip; it stands to reason that the parent responsible for overseas trips must also budget for the expenses associated with such trips.

32 For all these reasons, I made maintenance orders for the children in the above terms.

33 The main joint asset that the Parties sought division of was an HDB flat (“the Flat”). While no division orders were sought specifically on other assets held in the Parties’ sole names, the Mother’s position was that such assets ought to be taken into consideration for the purposes of assessing what would be a just and equitable division. I agreed with this approach.

34 The following matters were undisputed:

a) The Mother and Father were currently living in the Flat with the two children and their helper;

b) The house was valued at $950 ²⁴ ,000, with an outstanding loan of about $211,762 as at 18 June 2025 ²⁵ .

c) The Father’s CPF contributions to the Flat totalled about $401,523 ²⁶ comprising: (Principle)(“P”) $332,779 + (Interest)(“I”) $68,744.

d) The Mother’s CPF contributions to the Flat totalled about $288,657 ²⁷ comprising: (P) $238,591 + (I) $50,066.

e) The Parties agreed to sell the Flat ²⁸ .

35 The Mother held about $328,918 ²⁹ worth of assets in her sole name, including CPF monies. The Father held about $476,449 ³⁰ worth of assets in his sole name, including CPF monies. Some of the Father’s assets were not disclosed, in respect of which the Mother asked that the court draw an adverse inference ³¹ and sought an uplift of 10% ³² . While the Father clarified that his Apple and Tesla shares were linked to his Webull and Moomoo accounts, and produced documentary evidence in this regard ³³ , there were still several other items unaccounted for, including his GXS Account ³⁴ , Securities Account linked to several banks ³⁵ , his Securities holding in SGX ³⁶ and SLIDESG P L account ³⁷ .

36 The table below sets out a summary of the positions taken by the Mother and Father on the issue of the division of the matrimonial home:

37 The Court of Appeal in ANJ v ANK [2015] 4 SLR 1043 ⁴⁰ (“ANJ v ANK”) set out a structured approach (at [17] to [30]) to determine a just and equitable division of matrimonial assets. Using this approach, the Court exercising its power under section 112(1) of the Women’s Charter is to ⁴¹ :

a) Firstly, ascribe a ratio that represents each party’s direct contributions relative to each other, having regard to the amount of financial contribution each party made towards the acquisition or improvement of the matrimonial assets.

b) Secondly, ascribe a ratio that represents each party’s indirect contributions to the well-being of the family relative to that of the other.

c) Thereafter, derive the parties’ overall contributions relative to each other by taking an average of the two ratios above and this would form the basis to divide the matrimonial assets.

d) Lastly, further adjustments can made to the parties’ average percentage contributions based on other factors such as those enumerated in s 112(2) of the Women’s Charter.

38 Applying the structured approach in ANJ v ANK and providing equal weightage to direct and indirect contributions ⁴² , the Mother submitted that she should be entitled to 61% of the net value ⁴³ of the Flat ⁴⁴ , which worked out to be about $450,324 ⁴⁵ . The Mother was legally represented; I therefore had the benefit of written submissions from her, including detailed submissions on her indirect contributions to the family ⁴⁶ .

39 Although the Father was self-represented, he articulately conveyed the extent of his contributions towards the marriage, including his indirect contributions ⁴⁷ . He was also clear in his submission that the Mother should be awarded 53% of the net value of the Flat.

40 The Parties’ positions were therefore as follows –

a) Mother’s position: The Mother was entitled to 61% of the net value of the Flat, and the Father was entitled to 39% of the net value of the Flat ⁴⁸ . All other assets are to be retained in the Parties’ sole names.

b) Father’s position: The Mother was entitled to 53% of the net value of the flat ⁴⁹ , and the Father was entitled to 47% of the net value of the Flat. All other assets are to be retained in the Parties’ sole names.

41 I noted that the Parties’ 19-year marriage involved multiple rounds of assisted reproductive procedures ⁵⁰ . While it was the Mother who physically underwent these procedures, this challenging journey was experienced by both Parties, who so intensely felt the desire to become parents that they were prepared to do whatever it took.

42 The Court is not expected to undertake a forensic exercise at the hearing of the ancillary matters in order to ascribe a ratio to the Parties’ indirect contributions. This is because, as stated by the Court in ANJ v ANK:

43 Therefore, in adopting the broad-brush approach and having regard to all the circumstances of this case, I was of the view that the Parties’ indirect contributions, comprising indirect financial and indirect non-financial contributions, should be at a ratio of (Mother : Father) 78% : 22%. I thought this figure was appropriate in this case in view of the following factors –

a) The length of the marriage of 19 years.

b) The Mother was the primary care-giver to the children and due credit should be given to her indirect contributions in the domestic sphere.

c) The needs of the minor children; since the Mother had care and control of the children, who were still young, she would be responsible for roofing and housing them.

44 Applying equal weightage to direct and indirect contributions, the aggregate ratio of their respective shares in the Flat was therefore (Mother : Father) 60% : 40%. In the final analysis, I also did not apply any additional adjustments or ‘uplifts’, as sought by the Mother, as there was insufficient basis to do so. The table below sets out my calculation on the division of the Flat:

45 The net value of the Flat was agreed at $738,237, making:

a) The Mother’s 60% share valued at $442,942; and

b) The Father’s 40% share valued at $295,294.

46 Considering assets held in the Parties’ sole names:

a) The total value of the Mother’s award under the order was $771,860, comprising –

 $442,942 (share of the Flat) + $328,918 ⁵² (assets in her sole name).

b) The total value of the Father’s award under the order was $771,743, comprising –

 $295,294 (share of the Flat) + $476,449 ⁵³ (assets in his sole name).

47 Based on the analysis above, awarding the Mother 60% of the Flat essentially divided the pool of matrimonial assets equally between the Parties. I considered this just and equitable, having regard to all the circumstances of the case and in recognition of their joint contributions to the family as a whole.

48 After hearing the Parties on costs ⁵⁴ , I ordered costs of $4,800, payable by the Father to the Mother.